The Furious Orlando

The Furious Orlando
This is a great opera of the Italian literature!
By students Savoia secondary school, 2nd year,
class A.
Liliana David and Iva Palombini are the teachers of
Project.

THE FURIOUS ORLANDO
LUDOVICO ARIOSTO
He was born in Reggio Emilia in 1474.
He was the first child of a big family
and spent part of his life in Ferrara
where he served the cardinal Ippolito
of Este, brother of the duke Alfonso.
Ariosto died in 1533 in Ferrara.
It is a knightly poem. It deals with an invented story about
Orlando, the famous Christian paladin, nephew of Carlo Magno,
who falls in love with Angelica princess of Catai. Orlando has to
afford good and bad adventures to follow Angelica who instead
loves the squire Medoro. So Orlando becomes “furious” that is
insane for pain.
The poem also deals with the love between the warrior Ruggero
and Bradamante: from their union the “Estense” line will be
born; it will dominate Ferrara in XIV century.
There are a lot of stories interlaced to this: the wars between
Christians and Saracens, the loves of other paladins for Angelica
or for other women.
It is a whole adventures that makes the plot very elaborated.

MAIN CHARACTER: ORLANDO
THE PLACES
The poem's acclimatized in a lot of places, both real and
unreal. It happens from France and Spain to Catai or
Africa. There are unreal places such as the Moon world or
the castle of Atlante and places of Christians and Pagans
such as the Heaven and the Hell.
Orlando is very different from the paladin who in the “Chanson de Roland” died
sacrificing himself for the salvation of the Christians. Here, for love of Angelica,
he forgets his honour, he faces dangers and inexpressible teste, he goes
through spells, he is afraid, jealous and he became insane. The madness
reduces him like a brute.

MAIN CHARACTER: ASTOLFO
MAIN CHARACTER : ANGELICA
She is the object of wish: all men are in love with her, Christian knights and
Saracens. Princess of Katai, Angelica is ambitious, proud, astute and dispises the
victims of her charm.
Orlando’s cousin, he is an eccentric English prince and has magic powers and arms.
He is the adventurous hero who arrives beyond the world, until the Moon to
recover Orlando’s sense.
He is a light and rational man who doesn’t involve himself for what happens

THE HIPPOGRIFF
It is a mythological creature. Its name comes from the Greek words “hippos”
(horse) and “grypos” (griffin). It is a winged creature with head and wings of an
eagle, paws and chest of a lion and the rest of the body of a horse.
The first description of it is by Ludovico Ariosto in his “Furious Orlando” in which
Astolfo reaches the Moon to find Orlando’s lost mind.
THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN ANGELICA AND MEDORO
During her escape , Angelica arrives in a field where a beautiful young
Saracen soldier lies hurted.
That is Medoro, and Angelica falls in love with him: she cares him, she
cures him, she marrys him and together leave the scene. But the signes
of them love remain carved on the stones and the stones and on the tree
trunks.

ORLANDO’S
MADNESS
Later Orlando passing in
those places sees the
inscriptions and knows
the love of two lovers.
Full of despair he flee in
the wood, lies down
three days and three
nights, and than, at the
break of fourth day, he
gives himself up to a
savage rage: trows his
armour down, tears his
wearing and, only with
the power of his hands,
upnoots the trees.

ASTOLFO ON THE HIPPOGRIFF
Astolfo on the ippogriff goes to the Moon to look for
Orlando’s mind.

ASTOLFO ON
THE MOON
In the white
valleys of the
moon there is all
what the men
have lost: the
fame that doesn’t
resist to the time,
the prayers, the
lovers’tears, the
wasted time of
players. People’s
sense is closed in
cruets on the
Moon.

ORLANDO RECOVERS HIS SENSE
To give Orlando his sense, it is sufficient top ut on his nose the cruet
that Astolfo recovered on the moon and invale the contents. But it is
easier to tell than to do with that mad. It takes five paladins to take him
to the sense.
By students Savoia secondary school, 2nd year, class A. Teachers: Liliana David and Iva Palombini